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OP/ED: West Kootenay Labour Council calls for action on missing/murdered Aboriginal women

by Contributor on Monday Feb 29 2016

“March 8 is International Women’s Day (IWD) and this year we are hopeful that justice for Indigenous Women will move forward with the government’s announcement of the long awaited inquiry on missing and murdered aboriginal women,” said Debbie Bird, President of the West Kootenay Labour Council.

“Every year women and men around the world acknowledge March 8 as a day to focus on gaining true equality for women,” Bird said. “The Labour movement focuses on the systemic discrimination faced by women in the workplace, including the continual wage gap between men and women in employment.

“IWD was first organized by Clara Zetkin, a political activist in Europe, to honour women workers in New York’s garment industry who faced brutality and bitter strikes to achieve improved working conditions, wages and the right to form unions,” she added. “Today’s labour movement celebrates the gains women have made in the past 105 years since the day was first proclaimed, as we reconfirm our commitment to achieve full social, economic and political equality for all women.”

“The West Kootenay Labour Council stands in solidarity with the women’s and indigenous rights movements to press for justice and equality, and we urge our affiliated unions to show their support here in the West Kootenay, across the country and around the world, wherever we can work together to reach our shared goals,” she concluded.